Note To Pols: Drive American

It has been more than 30 years since the “Japanese Invasion” hit the U.S. shores.

I’m not talking aboutÂ Pearl Harbor, but the influx and popularity of Japanese automobiles in the U.S.Â

And while our highways and byways are now filled with almost as many Toyotas, Nissans, and Hondas – not to mention Volkswagens and BMWs – as Chevies, Fords and Chryslers, many politicians still make it a point to drive cars with domestic nameplates.

TheÂ reason for that was made clear to me this morning when I received an angry phone call about my Monday profile of longshot GOP comptroller candidate Chris Callaghan, which described how he gets around in a Honda Civic.

The caller was upset that someone seeking a high-ranking state office would drive a Honda instead of a vehicle made by the Big Three.

Never mind, of course, that some Ford,Â Chrysler and G.M. products are made in Mexico or Canada, while Japanese automakers including HondaÂ have factories here in the U.S.Â Â Â

“The gross profit goes to Japan,” noted my caller, who provided an up-close lesson in how some feelings die hard when it comes to jobs andÂ questions of U.S. competitiveness.